Wire heating apparatus



July 4, 1933. wl M. HEPBURN Er AL WIRE HEATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 1o,1932 Patented July 4, 19.33

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM 1I. HEPIBURN' AND RALPH S.FEARNSIDE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO SURFACE GOMBUSTION CORPORATION,OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK WIRE HEATING APPARATUSApplication led February 10, 1932. Serial No. 592,025.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for progressivelyheating a continuous length of rod or wire and has for its object toprovide improved Ways and means for maintaining the wire in a pluralityof laterally spaced loops while in the heating chamber. Another objectis to provide a simple and practical means for initially winding thewire about the l0op-supporting means.

Generally speaking, the means for supporting the wire in looped formcomprises a reel made up of a plurality of screw-shafts in equidistantspaced relation from each other and from the axis of rotation of thereel, the shafts being individually and simultaneously rotated as thereel is rotated, the threads in the shafts forming guide ways for thewire looped around the reel, the loops being maintained in spacedrelation by said threads and being moved thereby axially of the reel asthe latter is rotated.- The means for initially looping the wire aboutthe reel comprises a iioating ring to which one end of the wire may besecure-d, the ring being adapted to be moved axially of the reel bycontact with the threads of said shafts.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made tothe detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing wherein the referred form of the invention is shown and werei'n,-

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the improved apparatus, theview being taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 i's a fragmentary view of a detail shown in the other figures.

The furnace itself, apart from the reel or mechanism for handling thematerial to be heated, may be of any preferred form and construction andmay be heated in any preferred way. As shown, the furnace comprises asubstantially rectangular chamber Whereinto gas burners 5 fire throughthe side walls thereof, the furnace being surrounded by a supportingframework 6.

Forming part 'of the aforesaid. reel .is a

dlsk I Ywhich forms a rotatable closure for one end ofthe furnace. Thedisk is rotated by a shaft 8 which extends longitudinally through thefurnace, the shaft being supported at its ends outside of the furnace bybearings 9 and 10, respectively, which in turn are supported by theframe-work 6 which surrounds the furnace chamber. The shaft isV drivenin any suitable manner as by a belt 1l driven by a motor 12.Nonrotatably supported by the bearing 10 is a gear 13.

The disk 7 is non-rotatably secured t0 said shaft as by a face plate 14having a central hub which is keyed to said shaft. Extending through thedisk 7 and into the furnace chamber are a plurality of shafts 15arranged 1n umformly spaced relation with respect to each other and withthe main or central shaft 6. Non-rotatably secured to the shaft 8 with-1n the furnace is a bracket having as many radial arms 16 as there areshafts 15 to be supported, the shafts being rotatably supported 1nbearings at the ends of said arms.

Those ends of said shafts 15 which extend through the disk 7 arerotatably supported 1n bearings 17 which project from the face Vplate14. Non-rotatably secured to the outer end of each of said shafts 15 isa gear 18 which meshes with the non-rotatable gear 13.

From thc foregoing description it will be seen that when the central ormain driving shaft 8 is rotated, the shafts 15 will be carried aroundthe aXis of the shaft 8 and since each of the shafts 15 carries a gear18 which meshes With the fixed. gear 13, each shaft 15 will rotate aboutits oWn aXis.

That portion of each shaft 15 which is Within the furnace is providedwith screw threads 15', the threads of all of said shafts running in acommon direction. As shown in the drawing the threads are right handthreads. As viewed from the right hand side of Figs. and 3 the rotationof the main shaft 8 is clockwise and hence the individual rotation ofthe shafts 15 is also clockwise.

The wire to be heated is indicated at 2O in Fig. 3. The wire enters thefurnace through an opening 21 in one side wall and leaves the furnacethrough another opening 22 diagonally opposite' the opening 21.

After the wire is once wound about the reel,

5 the wire into the furnace as will now be readily understood. By reasonof the fact that the shafts 15 are provided with screw threads 15', thevarious loops of the wire will be maintained in laterally spacedrelation on the reel and will be positively moved axially of the shafts15 as the latter rotates. It will therefore be readily appreciated thatentanglement of the loops will be effectively prevented. l

Special means are provided for 1n1t1ally winding the wire about thereel. Said means comprises a floating ring 23 which encircles the reeland which is adapted to be moved from one end of the furnace to the'other by engagement with the threads of said shafts 15. In Fig. 1, saidring appears at the left hand end of the reel whereas in Fig. 3 itappears at the right hand end.

Referring to Fig. 4 wherein the details of construction of the ring areshown, 1t will be noted that the inner side of the ring is formed with arib 24 adapted to ride on the shafts 15 between the threads thereon. Oneor more holes 25 extend through the ring. When the Wire is to be woundabout the reel preparatory to starting the heating operation, one end ofthe wire is secured to the r1ng 23 by passing it through one of saidholes 25 and the end secured against removal. At such time the ring willbe adjacent the openlng 21 wherethrough the wire enters the furnace.After the ring reaches the opening 22 wherethrough the wire is to leavethe furnace, the wire is disconnected from the rin and connected to ansuitable reeling evice, not shown, outsi e of the furnace. After .thering leaves the threads on the shafts 15, 1t is idly supported on thenon-threaded portions of the shafts as shown in Fig. 3 where it remainsuntil it again becomes necessary to use it. When a new wire is to bethreaded or wound about the reel, the direction of rotation of thelatter is reversed in order that the ring may be shifted to the frontend of the reel as shown in Fig. 1 whereupon the end of the new wire issecured to the rin and the reel again rotated in the proper irection. Ifdesired there may be provided a plurality of said rings so that oneafter the other may be used without the necessity of reversing therotation of the reel until all of the rings are at Vthe discharge end ofthe It will of course be understood that when the ring 28 is ridingbetween the threads 15 it will rotate in the same direction as the reeland willbe shifted axially ofthe shafts 15 by the threads thereon. y

The apparatus is Particuarly well adapted for the annealing o wire orwire rod. The Waste gases of combustion may leave the furnace throughthe openings 21 and 22 through which the wire enters and leaves thefurnace, respectively, or if desired a special exhaust port 27 may beprovided as in the roof of the furnace.

Due to the fact that the various shafts constituting the reel rotateabout their respective axes, it will be readily appreciated that anytendency of the shafts to sag when heat. ed is effectively prevented.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for progressively heating a continuous length of wirerod or wire, the combinaton with a furnace chamber, of a reel thereinwhereon loops of the wire may be supported during the heating of thewire in said chamber, said reel comprising a plurality of screw shaftsfor directly supporting said loops and moving them axially thereo a.rotatable disk forming a closure for one end of said chamber and forminga support for the adjacent ends of said shafts, and means outside ofsaid chamber for rotating said shafts as said disk is rotated.

2. In apparatus for progressively heating a continuouslength of wire rodor wire, the combination with a furnace chamber, of a reel thereinwhereon loops of the wire may be supported during the heating of thewire in said chamber, the loop-supporting elements of said reelcomprising shafts having screw threads, means for rotating the shaftswhen the reel is rotated, said threads forming guideways for wire loopedabout the rcel, and means for initially looping the wire around saidreel, said means comprising a floating ring adapted to be moved axiallyof the reel when engaged by the threads of said shafts. l

In testimony whereof we aliix our signatures.

WILLIAM M. HEPBURN. RALPH S. FEARNSIDE.

